Margaritaville groundbreaking ushers in new era in Hollywood

"Welcome to paradise," the tanned man in shades told a festive crowd gathered around the beachfront bandshell on Thursday. "Take a look around at the future home of Margaritaville. A long time coming."

Four years in the making, the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort's official groundbreaking on Thursday heralds what city leaders hope will be a new era for the beach and all of Hollywood.

Commissioner Patty Asseff said the so-called "Margaritaville Effect" is already working, as nearby business owners fix up their shops and new builders swoop in to redevelop the area now that the long-awaited project is a reality.

Jack McCabe,a real estate analyst in Deerfield Beach, can't find even one downside to the $147 million Margaritaville project.

"I think more people are going to come to the beach because of the Margaritaville project," he said. "This project is bringing excitement to an area that's long overdue. I think it's a real positive for Hollywood beach."

The 17-story Jimmy Buffett-inspired resort is expected to open in late 2015. The 349-room property will include seven restaurants and bars, ocean-side pools, a FlowRider wave ride, spa and fitness center and 35,000 square feet of convention space.

At Thursday's groundbreaking, Buffett tunes played and stilt walkers mingled with a crowd of 200 VIPs as dozens of curious onlookers gathered nearby.

"It's exciting to have something new on the beach that's going to draw a lot of people," said Hollywood resident Margie Glau, a clerk at a nearby shop. "I think it's going to change the beach."

Developer Lon Tabatchnick spoke of the day he got the idea to build a Margaritaville project in Hollywood, saying it hit him like a thunderbolt four "long and restless" years ago.

"There's no better place for Margaritaville than Hollywood beach," Tabatchnick said.

In mid-2009, Hollywood sought development proposals for the city-owned parcel at Johnson Street and A1A. The following year, the commission chose Tabatchnick's Margaritaville plan for its potential to transform the beach.

Tabatchnick plans to lease the land for 99 years, paying Hollywood $1 million in the first year alone. Part of the deal requires Hollywood's redevelopment agency to kick in $23 million.

"I'm optimistic that the hotel will be built as planned," said Commissioner Kevin Biederman, "and that it's a new age in Hollywood."

The new resort will come with a 1,056-space garage, setting aside 600 spaces for the public. The garage will replace the Johnson Street parking garage that closed in July and has since been demolished.

With the beach losing nearly 800 parking spaces to make way for construction, some nearby business owners have worried about the parking crunch chasing away customers.

But that's the price of progress, Biederman said.

Stan Walsh, a Buffett fan and Hollywood resident, said he looks forward to Margaritaville's opening day.

Still, he hopes the new resort doesn't trigger a rush to build a "condo canyon" of high rises like you see on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.

"We don't need that here," Walsh said. "Margaritaville's going to be a good thing if they stop there."

Denese Sabatino, a Hollywood resident who stopped to take in the groundbreaking festivities, wasn't worried aboout that.

"It's going to revitalize the beach and bring jobs," she said. "It's a win-win no matter how you look at it."